Tyrannosaurus-Scrap

John Olsen is an interesting individual. Originally from Baffle, he grew up on a dairy farm but has been a fisherman for most of his life. Now a resident of Bundaberg, he has, like most people, things he is proud of in his front garden. The only difference is that his front garden is home to a two metre tall scrap metal Tyrannosaurus Rex.

You might be familiar with some of his artwork; the lungfish sculpture that sits on the shores of the Burnett River in Bundaberg is one of John's creations. But there is more in store as you step into his yard.

I was welcomed into his home with the offer of a cup of tea, before John took me out to his workshop and we relaxed in the ornate antique chairs. It was there I had to see two other pieces. In the shed waiting to take up a new home in the front garden is a scrap metal set of armour called The Conquistador, and the back garden hosts a scrap metal dragon with corrugated iron wings.

So, how did John come to have a scrap metal dinosaur in his front garden?

"They were built in the 1990s," John remembers. "T-Rex is the particularly large beast, the other piece is called the Palaeontologist. It's a very skeletal form, and that led me to think about what the palaeontologist must have seen in their mind's eye when they first dug up a dinosaur skeleton."

But as with any large work that goes into a front garden, the neighbours are often the ones who make the final call on whether it's a success. John says that he has had an overall positive reaction to the two dinosaurs.

"So far they have been relatively happy. The kids in the area seem to take some fun from them, and they're good judges" he said.

However, future works from John may be few and far between, and it all comes down to the scrap metal that's around.

"There were particular types of scrap metal and scrap metal pieces available. I've noted in recent years that a large percentage of the type of metals we used in these sculptures, you just don't see them in the scrap-yards anymore.

"I imagine out in the country on some of the farms there will still be some of them, but the love of steel has probably taken that overseas."

"These four pieces were on show at the Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery at one point, and they were pretty well received, I believe" John said.

"They are big pieces, they are very heavy. I think the best spot is at home. Put them in the yard and they'll just keep a guard on the place while we're away."